Title: Thai Seafood Casserole with Basil
Categories: Thai Seafood Casserole
Yield: 4 Servings

4	oz	Dried bean thread noodles
1	sm	Dungeness crab (preferably live)
1/2	lb	Large shrimp shelled and deveined
1/2	lb	Large cleaned squid cut crosswise into 1" rings
1	lb	Fresh fish fillets cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2	ts	Black peppercorns
1	tb	Chopped fresh coriander root
4		Garlic cloves
1	ts	Sugar
1	tb	Golden Mountain Sauce =OR=- Dark soy sauce
1	tb	Light soy sauce =OR=- Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2	ts	Oyster sauce
1	tb	Rice wine or dry sherry
1	ts	Sesame oil
2	tb	Vegetable oil
3	sl	Ginger; (quarter-sized) crushed
4		Red chiles chopped into 1/2-in pieces
4		Green onions cut into 2-in lengths
1 1/2	c	Water, or more if needed
1/2	c	Thai sweet basil leaves
		Fresh coriander sprigs
1		Sandy clay pot casserole (2 quart size) =OR=- Dutch oven

Golden Mountain Sauce is prepared with Thai style-soy sauce, which may be found in Southeast Asian markets.

IN A BOWL, COVER MUNG BEAN noodles with warm water; soak until soft and pliable, about 10 minutes. Drain. Set aside. Clean and prepare the live crab according to the following instructions (if using cooked crab, follow the instructions after the steaming step). Shell and devein the shrimp; pat dry. Clean squid according to the instructions below. Cut the body crosswise into 1-inch rings; set aside the rings and cleaned tentacles. In a mortar or spice mill, pound or grind the peppercorns, coriander root and garlic into a paste. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, Golden Mountain Sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine and sesame oil. Add oil to clay pot or Dutch oven. Set over medium heat. Add reserved coriander-garlic-pepper paste to the oil; saute lightly. Increase to high heat. Add ginger, chiles and the crab pieces (add cooked crab later); toss and brown for a minute. Add shrimp and green onions to crab mixture; stir-fry for 30 seconds. Pour in the soy sauce mixture and mung bean noodles; toss and mix together. Stir in water, cover pot, reduce to medium heat and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. If noodles seem dry, add more water. Increase to medium-high heat, add fish, squid and cooked crab, mix with the noodles, top with the basil leaves. Cover. Cook 3 to 5 minutes longer. Check for doneness. Bring the clay pot to the table and serve hot with rice and vegetables.

TO CLEAN AND PREPARE THE CRAB: Scrub the underside and in between claws and legs to loosen sand and grit. Rinse well with cold water. Plunge crab into boiling water for a minute to kill it immediately. Remove and cool. To disjoint and crack the crab, hold shell portion of the crab in one hand. With the other hand, gather the legs and claws on one side and gently pull and tug until the body and legs loosen and free themselves as a whole section from the shell. On both sides of the body are featherly gills. Pull off and discard these gills. The tail piece, a triangular flap, is located on the underside of the body. With tip of knife lift up the flap, grasp it, twist off and discard. Scrub exposed area clean. Now remove the legs and claws by gently pulling and bending them backward against their natural bend, and twist to free them. You now have the chest-body section where the tomalley liver is embedded in the cavity. Spoon it out and reserve it for those who appreciate it. The chest body should be chopped in half down the middle with a heavy cleaver. Chop each section crosswise into 3 equal pieces. With a light hammer or metal nut cracker, crack the mid section and joint of each leg and claw; set aside the pieces. (When eating, use the tip of the leg as a pick to dig out the meat.)

TO CLEAN AND PREPARE SQUID: Grasp the body of the squid with one hand and with the other pull the head and tentacles away until separated from the body. With your finger dip into the body to remove the quill, the transparent cartilage and discard. Peel off the dotted skin from the body and discard. Rinse body with cold water. Cut between the eye and the tentacles; discard the head. Squeeze the thick center part of the tentacles to dislodge the hard beak. Rinse with cold water; set aside.

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